Okinawa
by Gray Wings
Summary: Subaru is not here on vacation, but he might just get it. Sun-kissed Seishirou and Hokuto in red. Short.


**Author's Note**: a bit of sunny fluff, in celebration of spring in New England and my own desolate state of essay-writing.

**Disclaimer**: Me no own.

* * *

><p>They are not here on vacation; he must remind himself of the fact. And her, but that is often the same thing.<p>

"Look, Subaru – a crab!"

Hokuto's voice washes over him with the waves, the smell of the sea. Okinawa is beautiful, almost as beautiful as Hawaii, they say. Subaru has never been to Hawaii, will likely never be allowed outside of Japan given his status – so he imagines he is, tries to see himself as the foreigner and the Russian family down the beach as his hosts. The feeling of displacement that follows is quite charming.

Hokuto calls for him again, waving a good-sized seashell this time. He smiles and lifts a hand in response, not daring to join her in the shallow waters. Not yet. Maybe after dinner. After the case has been closed. After, after...

"Excuse me."

He does not jump, not quite, but his face burns nonetheless when he faces the stranger with a heartfelt _sumimasen_. The man gives Subaru an amused look, and Subaru's face burns darker.

"You have been standing here for quite some time. Are you feeling alright?"

Subaru nods mutely, warm and cold in turns. Standing here, fully-clothed, staring at the people on the beach – of course he would look out of place! Oh, how dreadfully embarrassed he feels.

"Are you sure?" the stranger reaches and – to Subaru's shock – presses a large hand against his forehead. The touch is cool, strokes sweat-damp hair away from burning skin; Subaru would have pressed closer, had his well-bread sensibilities not been thrown in for a loop at the man's boldness. So he stares at the other's frowning face instead, wide-eyed.

"You are much too hot," the stranger concludes. His hand drops – to Subaru's shoulder, the younger man notes with rising hysteria – and he is suddenly being guided away. "Let's get you into the shade, hm?"

Again, Subaru does no more than nod. A thought of Hokuto flitters through his mind, quickly melting into the sultry air; perhaps he has been out a bit too long.

"Sit." He is pushed into a chair, the plastic sticking unpleasantly to his trousers. "Wait here a minute."

The stranger disappears. Subaru looks around, sees he is sitting in front of some type of store – small, a place to get something on the go. A single table has been set in the front, the shade provided by a dusty Coca-Cola umbrella sticking straight up from the middle of an off-white, plastic table.

Suddenly, something cold is pressed beneath his jaw. Subaru yelps and pushes away, startled green eyes flickering from the water bottle to the stranger's amused face. The bottle is offered to him again and Subaru takes it, holds it awkwardly with both hands.

"Drink," the man instructs, smiling, and drops in the chair across from Subaru's.

Subaru does. At first, the liquid is simply too cold and he splutters, lips budding wet. It becomes easier with the second gulp; by the third, he feels some semblance of logic returning. He looks at the older man, thanks him shyly while berating himself for his own stupidity. No wonder Obaa-san had not let him go alone – first day in, already on the verge of sunstroke.

The man does not acknowledge the words of gratitude. "Better?" he asks instead; Subaru nods again. "Good. You looked like you were about to fall over."

Subaru does not know what to say to that, so he takes another swallow from the bottle. The man follows his action with his eyes; Subaru blushes, not knowing why.

"My name is Sakurazuka Seishirou," the man extends a hand at the same time Subaru attempts to bow – still seated and all. The result is an awkward moment of Subaru's cheek pressed against Seishirou's palm; a second passes and the younger man pushes back as if scalded, successfully smacking his head against the wall of the store behind him.

For a moment, Seishirou simply looks at Subaru, at the look of astonishment frozen on his face. Then he throws his head back and _laughs_, low and rumbling, and the embarrassment is somehow sweet. Subaru smiles back timidly, opens his mouth to introduce himself.

"SUBARU." Or, well, not.

Hokuto has prepared better for their day out: a bright-red, two-piece bathing suit allows her body to breathe, while a tremendous straw hat (with several roses stolen from the hotel display pinned at the rim) protects her head and face from direct exposure to the sun's might. There is a bit of sunscreen smudged on the brim of her nose, and her lips are died pink –one of those strawberry smoothies he had seen sold on the beach. Suddenly, he is reminded of the bright-orange crab she had shown him earlier; puffed up and red as she was, the similarity was quite amusing.

"Where have you been? I talk to someone for a moment, look away from you for a second, and you disappear!" Subaru winces, unconsciously slumping lower in his seat. "Do you have any idea how worried—"

Hokuto had been marching closer, voice getting more and more agitated with each step. About three feet away from Subaru, however, she suddenly halted – mid-rant, fist still raised in a threatening shake. She grins; foreboding chills Subaru's spine. Sure enough, Hokuto's eyes have slid to Seishirou's quietly observing form.

"Well, well. Hello, there. And who might this handsome gentleman be?"

Subaru groans.

Nonplused, Seishirou rises to his feet – Subaru is suddenly aware of how tall the man is, how much broader and stronger than him. Muscles glisten along his arms, down a well-toned back; his eyes glint in the midday sun, a ring of gold around the midnight black.

"Sakurazuka Seishirou."

"Sei-san," Hokuto decides, and Subaru winces at his sister's audaciousness. But she carries on, "And how did you meet my twin?"

Seishirou glances between them, eyes lingering on Subaru. "Fate," he purrs, "Your brother was about to collapse from the heat when I noticed him swaying this way and that."

"Subaru!" Hokuto screeches, momentarily distracted from whatever game she is playing with the older man. Subaru hangs his head, allowing his sister to lecture him on proper beach conduct for full two minutes before interrupting.

"I know, I know!" to Seishirou, he bows, "I am sorry to have caused you trouble."

"Not at all," Seishirou is watching him, has been watching him the entire time. His smile is a bit sharper this time around and Subaru swallows, forgets about Hokuto for a moment. A short moment, as Hokuto could never be disregarded for long.

"Oh, but that will not do!" she smiles in that sharp, scheming way of hers and Subaru is afraid again. Very much so. "Not for saving Subaru's life!" Subaru wants to protest that a little bit of sun would have hardly killed him, but Hokuto does not give him the chance, "What do you say to a dinner, Seishirou-san?"

"I would be happy to, given that my prospective date agrees." Seishirou throws an amused glance Subaru's way; the younger man, preoccupied with wondering whether he can drown himself in the little liquid that remains in his water bottle, snaps hunted green eyes to his.

"Well?" Hokuto taps her foot, the green sandals rising miniature storms of sand, "Are you going to man up or not, Subaru?"

"I-is tomorrow-night alright?" Subaru forces out underneath his sister's glare, not daring to look into Seishirou's eyes.

"Perfect," the older man rumbles. Subaru exhales, then almost swallows his tongue when his hand is captured in a strong grip. Instinctively, he rises his eyes and catches Seishirou's – finds himself unable to look away.

"Until then." The older man places a soft, dry kiss on Subaru's knuckles. He then straightens and walks away, back into the chaos of the beach. Subaru stares after him for longer than entirely necessary.

"My dear little brother, finally growing up." Hokuto's sniff brings his gaze back to her; his eyes narrow at the reminder of who exactly had gotten him into this mess, then relax under his sister's smile.

"Well, I guess you will get to wear the fancy dress you bought yesterday," he sighs, preparing himself for a night of embarrassment. Then jumps as Hokuto grabs his shoulder, turns him so they are face to face. Silent mirth dances in her eyes, yet she remains curiously serious.

"Subaru-kun, I am not going with."

For a moment, Subaru fancies he has gone mute. He opens his mouth, closes it, reddens to a dangerous degree, then finally blurts out a single – but heartfelt – "_What?_"

But Hokuto has already started back, towards their hotel and a bath and shade. She hums a little as she walks, sways to an invisible tune, and Subaru stares after her this time. Just as dumbstruck.

He had. He had just.

"I cannot wait to tell Grandma you finally asked someone out!" Hokuto calls out, words followed by a lengthy _O-ho-ho-ho_!

Subaru dearly wishes fainting is an option.


End file.
